Dishwashing machine



Oct. 16, 1934. E. s. STOD'DARD 1,976,902

DI SHWASHING MACHINE I Filed May 2, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1- Inf/87%": vx5 Stoddard Oct. 16, 1934, E. s. STODDARD DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed May2, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 toddani Oct; 16, 193:; E a STQDDARD 1,976,902

DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed May 2, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ITLUeTUH-r' Ed ar6 Stoddard.

13 W W azg Patented Oct. 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE DISHWASHING MACHINEEdgar S. Stoddard, Berwyn, 111., assignor to The Conover Company,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 2, 1930, SerialNo. 449,186

12 Claims.

This invention relates to washing machines, and it particularly relatesto a liquid level control and drain mechanism for a dishwashing machine.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved liquid levelcontrol and drain mechanism for liquid containing machines, which isparticularly adapted to be utilized in combination with the driving andspray-projection apparatus of a spray-projection type washing machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drain-levelconstruction which may be centrally located in the lower part of awashing machine and which is adapted to cooperate with a liquidactuating device.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a drain-levelmechanism for liquid containing machines which may be manually actuatedfrom a distant point and which will not be readily impaired in itsaction by the lodgment of dirt and other solid particles in the valvemechanism.

A stillfurtherobject of the present invention is to provide a mechanismwhich is adapted to cooperate with the water actuating device of aspray-projection type dishwashing machine and maintain a centralquiescent zone within the liquid pool of the machine from which thewater discharging device is adapted to receive the waste liquids to bedischarged.

Other objects will appear during the course of the followingdescription.

Although the drain-level arrangement of the present invention isparticularly adapted to be utilized in connection with spray-projectiontype dishwashing machines, which are more fully shown and described in acopending application Serial No. 389,696 filed August 31, 1929, nowPatent No. 1,937,100, this arrangement may be generally employed andutilized in connection with liquid containing machines of widely varyingcharacter.

In the drawings, which show one embodiment of the invention as appliedto a spray-projector type dishwashing machine, and to which'theinvention is by no means restricted:

Fig. 1 shows a front sectional view of the washing machine with thedrain mechanism in position;

Fig. 2 shows a side sectional view of the drain mechanism and itsmanually actuated control upon a slightly enlarged scale and upon theline 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are side views partly in section and partly in elevationupon the line 3-3 of 2, showing the drain valve in closed and openpositions respectively;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are top sectional viewsupon the lines 5-5, 6-6 and 7-7-of Fig. 2;

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are enlarged showings of the 5 various elements of thedrain valve removed from the combination;

Fig. 11 is a front sectional view upon the line 11-11 of Fig. 2 showingin greater detail a portion of the actuating arrangement; and

Figs. 12 and 13 show a modified actuating mechanism.

The present invention is shown as applied to a combined sink-dishwasheradapted to be permanently installed in kitchens, but it also may bereadily applied to portable dishwashing machines. The supportingstructure has a sink portion 20, a dishwasher support structure 21 and abackboard 22. Upon the backboard are positioned the hot, and cold waterfaucets 23 and 24 'of the sinkand also the hot and cold water valves ofthe dishwasher 25 and 26. These valves are adapted to empty into thepipe27 which in turn discharges into the tank 51 of the dishwasher by theoutlet 28. Closely adjacent these faucets are positioned the motorswitch 29 and the drain actuating handle 30.- r

The dishwashing machine proper consists of a cylindrical tank 51 (seeFigs. 1 and 2) which is provided with a sloping bottom 52, said slopingbottom having a. slightly inclined outside portion .53, and an interiorportion 54 which is inclined at a much greater angle so as to cause theformation of a deeper pool of water in the central portion of the tank.The tank 51 forms "the washing chamber of the machine and is suppliedwith the racks (not shown) which are adapted to support the dishes andother articles to be cleansed in proper relationship to the cleansingspray. To the central open portion of the sloping bottom is attached arather short cylindrical chamber 55 (see Figs. 1 and 3) which isprovided with an annularly recessed sloping bottom 56. Below thecylindrical chamber 55 is another cylindrical chamber 57 of smallerdiameter which contains the mechanism adapted to remove all liquid fromthe tank. T0 the bottom of the chamber 57 is attached the motor 65.

The motor 65 (see Figs. 1 and 2) drives the impeller or main wateractuating or spraying device of the dishwashing machine by means of theshaft 76. The shaft 76 is provided with two bearings, a lower bearing inthe lower part of the motor casing (not shown) and an upper bearing 74to which is attached the sleeve 77. The

' of the tank, and it is enclosed by the aforementioned tubular sleeve'77 which is fitted into the bearing '74 in the motor end bell 81 (seeespecially Fig. 2). Supported upon the shouldered portion 79 is theimpeller 75. The end of the shaft 79 screws into the head piece 82 ofthe impeller. The lower inner portion of the blades of the impeller '75(see Figs. 1 and 2) are cut away so that the impeller may embrace alevel and discharge mechanism to which this application is particularlydirected.

Hot water is usually admitted to the washing chamber of the tank by theinlet 28 (see Figs. 1 and 2) until it reaches the level of the overflowdevice. This overflow device is so constructed as to permit the tank tobe filled with water to substantially above the level of the jointure ofthe sloping portions 53 and 54 (see Figs. land 2). The overflow anddrain device is supported upon the bottom of the upper cylindricalchamber 55 by means of the plate 140 which fits into a recessed portionin the bottom of the chamber 55. The plate 140 is annular in shape andslopes downwardly and inwardly. The inner edge of the plate is providedwith a short cylindrical wall 141. This wall is provided with a seriesof spaced openings 142 (see also Figs. 6 and 8) and'the inside of thewall is machined and is of frusto conical shape so as to cooperate witha closely fitting conical valve member 143. The valve member 143 is alsoprovided with openings 144 (see also Figs. 6 and 9) which may be ofsmaller, larger orthe same diameter, as the openings 142, the latterbeing preferred. The openings 142 are positioned so that they will be atthe lowest portion of the cylindrical chamber 55, and therefore willdrain all liquid from the washing chamber of the machine. In Figs. 2, 3and 6 the inner conical valve member 143 is turned so that its openings144 do not cooperate with the openings 142 in the wall 141, and thiswill prevent any drainage taking place from the bottom of the chamber55. However, when the valve is turned so that the openings 144 areopposite and cooperate with the openings 142, such drainage readilyoccurs (see Fig. 4). The openings 144 in the conical valve member 143are made smaller than the intervening portions of the wall 141 so thatthere willbe no leakage past the valve when it is turned intonon-discharging position (see especially Fig. 6). I

Seated in a .circular recess in the inner-upper side of the conicalvalve 143 is a cylinder 145 which extends up to the normal level aspreviously described (see Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 9). When the valve 143 is innon-draining position, the water must rise to the level of the top ofthe tube 145 before it may enter the discharge chamber or pumpcompartment 57-. The outer upper portion of the conical valve member isshouldered and threaded as indicated at 146 and upon this shouldered andthreaded portion is placedthe nut or threaded annulus 147 (seeespecially Fig. 4) Between themain portion of the valve 143 and theshouldered portion 147 is another shouldered portion 148 ofdiameterintermediate that of the portion 146 and the main portion of thevalve.

I Y This shouldered portion 148 is provided with external flats 149 (seeFig. 5) which co,-

operate with the internal flats of an actuating ring or washer 150 (seealso Fig. 10). In the construction shown there is no tendency for thenut 14'? to unscrew and become loose because of the intervention of theactuating ring 150 between it and the top of the outer valve member 141.The washer 150 acts to prevent friction between the stationary valve 141and the tightened nut 147.

The ring 150 is provided with a projecting finger 151 which has anopening 152 (see Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10). The crank 153 cooperates withthe opening 152 and is connected to the end of the rotatable rod 154.The rod 154 passes through the packing nut 155 in the wall of thechamber 55 and connects with a bell crank lever 156 (see Figs. 1 and 2).The outer portion. of the rod 154 is supported by the fixture 15'?attached to the bottom of the'tank. The bell crank lever 156 is actuatedby the vertical rod 158, which at its upper end is connected to anotherlever 159. This lever is rotated by means of the rod 160. The rod 160extends from the rear of the sink to the front of the sink and isprovided at the front of the sink with a handle 30. By means of thehandle 30 it is possible to turn the rod 160, elevate or depress the rod158, rotate the rod 154 and open or close the valve 143. The rod 160 isprovided with a bearing in the block 131. The block 131 (see Figs. 2 and11), is drilled or provided with an opening 132 in which the rod 160fits and turns. The rod is held in position by means of the pins 133which cooperate with the grooves 134 in the rod. In this manner the rod160 will be free to turn and at the same time will not be subject tolateral or longitudinal displacement.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 12 and 13, a bearing 191 isformed in the block 190 to receive the horizontal portion 1920f thehandle 30. The lever 193 is attached to the rod 192 between the back 22of the sink 20 and the front of the supporting bearing 191. It is heldin longitudinal position in the bearing 191 by the shoulder 194, thewasher 195 and the cotter pin 196.

The actuating mechanism attached to the lever 193 may be modified sothat a flexible push and pull rod will connect the lever 193 directly tothe finger 151 of the washer 150 (see Fig. 5). In this construction theentire flexible rod is preferably contained in a water tight casing thelower end of which is under the level of the water and the upper end ofwhich is above the liquid level, means being provided to prevent leakagewhere the tubular casing passes through the wall of the tank.

Placed on the upper side of the plate 140 and upon the outer side of theperforated cylindrical wall 141 are the symmetrically positioned baillesor ridges 1'15 (see Figs. '2 to 6 and 8). These baflles or ridges serveto prevent a swirling motion of the water, and moreover direct the waterwhen it is draining out of the chamber 55 into the openings 142.Moreover, the vertical portions of these baflles or ridges 176 areprovided with shoulders 177 which serve to support a shield 178 whichfits over the overflow and drain combination. The holes 142 are cutnon-radially in ,the wall 141 and are positioned so that their lowerportion will be level with or below the top of the plate 140. Thisposition of the holes will insure complete drainage of the chamber 55.It will be noted that the bailles or ridges 175 are positionedtangentially and not radially so that into the chamber 55 and the lowerpart of the washing compartment until it reaches approximately thenormal water level. At this time the water will have risen under thecovering shield 178 to the level of the top of the cylinder 145 and itwill overflow into the space between the cylinder 145 and the impellertube or apron 179 into the discharge or pump chamber 57.

It will be noted that the tube 145 is suitably spaced from the top ofthe shield 178, as indicated at 180 (see Fig. 3) and also that the topof the shield is suitably spaced from the impeller tube 179, asindicated at 181. The impeller tube 179 screws onto a threaded sleeveextending downwardly from the lower edge and is a part of the conicalimpeller head 82 (see Fig. 2). The impeller tube 179-extends downwardlyaround 'the upwardly projecting tubular portion 77 to approximately thebottom of the chamber 57. This tube 179 will turn with the shaft 76. Tothe lower portion of the impeller tube 179 is attached a centrifugaldevice 183 (see Figs. 2 and 7). The centrifugal or pump device 183 isadapted to turn in the chamber 57, while the impeller is rotating in thelower part of the washing chamber formed by the tank 51. The blades 184of the device 183 are curved outwardly away in an opposite direction tothe direction of rotation so as to give a maximum centrifugal effect tothe water being discharged. They may be placed as close together asdesired, except that they should not be placed so close as would preventthe ejection of foodparticles. The blades are also of decreased areaadjacent the central shell, as indicated at 185, asa result of which-thewater will flow into the discharge chamber smoothly and rapidly throughthe space between the tube 145 and the impeller tube 179.

During the time the overflow is taking place, the centrifugal device isdischarging the excess water which flows upwardly between the shield 178and the tube 145 and downwardly between the tube 145 and the impellertube 179 from the machine by means of the discharge conduit 186 into thesink 20 (see Fig. 1). This prevents an overcharging oi the machine withwash or rinse liquid. The discharge of water into the sink will indicatethat the machineis filled to its proper level, and the operator then mayshut the inlet and keep any further amount of water from flowing intothe machine. When the machine is operated in this manner it is necessaryto have the shaft 76 and the tube 179 turning while the machine is beingfilled with water.

When it is desirable to discharge the machine completely, the handle 30on the rod 160 is turned so as to rotate the valve 143, with the resultthat its openings 144 cooperate with the openings 142 and communicatingwith said first mentioned vertical chamber by means of the centralopening in the liquid directly or in the washing chamber suitableamounts of a detergent such as trisodium phosphate and soap. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention, it is preferable to start themotor by the switch 29 before admitting the liquid and cause the motorto run while admitting the liquid. ,In this way the starting torque ofthe motor is reduced, and moreover the centrifugal pump in the chamber57 is actuated so as to discharge any overflow or excess cleansing orrinse liquid. When the tank has been filled to the topof the cylinder145, it will overflow into the chamber 57 and discharge through the line186 into the sink 20. When it is desired to drain the tank completely,the handle 30 is turned so as to place the openings 141 in cooperationwith the openings 144 and to permit all liquid in the lower part of thetank to drain into the pump or discharge chamber 57. The articles withinthe machine may be subjected to several cleansing and rinsing operationsof this character.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitation should be understoodtherefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly aspermissible in view of the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dishwashing machine, a vertical tank, a vertical chambercommunicating with the lowest part of said tank and being provided witha central opening in its bottom, another vertical chamber below saidfirst mentioned vertical chamber forming a pump or discharge chamber thebottom thereof, said opening being provided with a wall extending ashort distance up into the first mentioned vertical chamber, the innersurface of said wall being of upwardly pointed frustoconical shape andbeing provided with openings which are substantially at the lowest levelof the bottom of said first mentioned chamber, thereby forming acommunication between said tank and said discharge chamber, and aconical valve openings in said wall and adapted to rotate within saidwall so as to open or close the openings therein, said valve beingprovided with a cylindrical tube extending upwardly into the tank andbeing adapted to maintain a desired liquid level therein.

2. A washing machine comprising a vertical tank, a well chambercommunicating with the lowest part of said tank, a central opening inthe bottom of said well chamber, forming an outlet therefor, saidopening being provided with a wall extending upwardly a short distance,said wall being provided with openings which are substantially on thelowest level of the bottom of said well, a valve member positionedwithin said wall and adapted to open or close the openings therein, andbaflies or guides upon the bottom of the member having openingscorresponding to the well chamber for the purpose of guiding the liquidinto the openings in the wall around the central opening in said bottom.

3. A washing machine provided with a vertical tank, a well chambercommunicating with the bottom of said tank, a driving shaft extendinging downwardly about said sleeve, the lower porattached to said tube, aperforated inner movable valve member in the lower part of the tank andoutside of said rotatable tube, an upwardly extending overflow tubemovable with said inner valve'member and communicating with said wellchamber, a perforated outer valve member, and a shell enclosing andbeing spaced from said valve members and said overflow tube.

4. A washing machine comprising a tank, a drain valve positioned in thelowest part of said tank, a horizontal rotatable valve actuating rodextending through the wall of said tank, a second vertical rod connectedto said first mentioned rod and adapted to rotate it extending upwardlyalong the side of the tank of the machine to a point adjacent the top ofthe tank, and a handle connected to the upper end of said secondmentioned rod by means of which said second mentioned rod may be movedupwardly or downwardly.

5. A washing machine comprising a tank, a rotatable drain valve in thelowest part of said tank, a horizontal rotatable valve actuating rodextending horizontally through the wall of said tank, a second actuatingrod adapted to rotate the first mentioned rod and extending upwardlyalong the tank of the machine until it reaches a position adjacent thetop thereof, and a third horizontal actuating rod connected to saidsecond mentioned rod adapted to reciprocate said second mentioned rodupwardly and downwardly.

6. In a washing machine comprising a tank, a drain valve positioned inthe lowest portion of said tank comprising a stationary member and amovablemember, said movable member being of frusto-conical shape andbeing positioned so as to rotate upon the main axis of the machine, aseries of openings in the sides of said movable member, an actuatingring attached to the top of said movable member adapted to be actuatedfrom outside of ,the tank, and a nut fitted upon the top of said movablemember and holding the actuating ring in position, said'actuating ringintervening between said nut and said stationary member so as toeliminate any tendency for the nut to unscrew.

valve in the lower portion of said tank, said valve comprising a fixedmember and a movable memher, said fixed member consisting of an inwardlyand downwardly sloping annulus around the inner opening of which ispositioned a circular wall and upon the upper surface of which ispositioned a series of non-radial fins which have extensions verticallyalong the outer side of said circular wall.

9. In a washing machine, a tank, a drain valve positioned in the lowerpart of said tank, said drain valve comprising an outer annular stationsary member, an inner annular rotatable member, non-radial cooperatingopenings in the sides of said stationary and movable members, means torotate said inner member, and non-radial fins positioned on the floor ofthe tank adjacent the openings in said stationary member for the purposeof directing the liquids therethrough.

10. In a washing machine, a tank and a drain valve in the lower portionof said tank, said valve comprising a stationary annular member attachedto and extending upwardly from the floor of the tank, a rotatableannular member fitted within said stationary member, means to rotatesaid rotatable member, a series of spaced openings in said stationaryannular member, the rotation of the inner member being adapted to coveror uncover said openings, and a series of vanes positioned upon thefloor of said tank adjacent in said stationary member and extending asubstantial distance above the top of said stationary member todetermine the liquid level within the tank, a-series of spaced openingsin said stationary member and said rotatable member adapted to cooperatewith each other, and a shield enclosing and being spaced fromsaid valvemechanism, said shield having an opening adjacent the bottom of thetank.

12. In a dishwashing machine, a tank provided with a draining bottom, acircular opening in the lowest part of said draining bottom, a wallprojecting upwardly from around the edges of said opening, a rotatablevalve member fitted within 1 said wall, a series of cooperating openingsin said wall and said rotatable valve member, means to rotate said valvemember adapted to place said openings into or out of alignment, achamber beneath the lowest portion of said'draining bottom adapted tocommunicate with said tank by said central opening, and a centrifugalpump in said chamber adapted to remove all liquids from said tank whensaid openings are turned in cooperating position.

EDGAR S. STODDARD.

